Students diaries of the activities in Perth from 25th June – 1st July 2016

Saturday, 25th June 2016
Easy check-in + flight? BORING!!

Not even in the plane and the difficulties started.
Right at the first step, the check-in, it took ages to register all pupils and in the end we were seated all over the plane.
Some baggage was too big for the computer to carry them away, that’s why we had to get them to a human who did this.
Last but not least we were on time and there was no hurry. And then there was the body and bag control.
Our group got split up because there were so many people, so we couldn’t see everybody but later they told us there had been an explosives control on Hannah and Clara, but just Hannah had to talk to the police because the test was positive. Funny thing is that she had no explosives and could pass the control a bit later. Just a random system??
Our criminal number one stays Mr. Lummel who brought a 2.36 Inch long (6cm) knife through the control because he looked reliable!? Crazy guys at this airport!
After we had passed the controls everything went good. We reached the plane and got our seats which weren’t too bad. The flight was quite good, but the Aberdeen airport with its runway was very small and that’s how the pilot landed the thing. Touchdown completed! WELCOME TO SCOTLAND!!!
After the nearly two hour long bus trip on the LEFT side of the street we arrived at Perth Grammar, and were very happy to meet our exchange families. Everybody waited for us and it was a nice welcome.
Already in the evening we met at the cinema and watched the movie INDEPENDENCE DAY ||. But nearly everybody except the guys that had not seen the first one told the others that it’s not the best one and it was exactly the same. And that was unfortunately right. NO PROBLEM, the popcorn was perfect!!
After that everybody got home and we enjoyed the evening with our host families.
A really interesting first day ended…
Jannik Schwarzkopf and Stefanie Göller

Sunday, 26th June 2016
Driving for two hours to get stung by midges ?!
Today we met at Perth Grammar School to drive to a waterpark. It was far away, so we drove for two hours. some of us already saw the waterpark even before we arrived but the bus driver drove past it. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes – then the drivers were a bit confused because we should have arrived already. So we stopped and the two drivers spoke to each other about what to do. And so we drove back and asked some people for the way. Finally we arrived after a long time and it was very cold. The Scottish students didn’t feel cold bit the Germans aren’t used to that kind of weather. So some decided to go into the water bit the rest didn’t want to and stayed outside. It seemed like the people in the water had fun but the students outside didn’t enjoy it as much because there were so many midges! And so we were stung by them.
After we had finished the attraction in the waterpark we drove about 500 metres further and had a BBQ. We all ate burgers and they were very tasty. Some of the students played table tennis. The teachers as well. All the Germans were upset because they couldn’t watch the football match Germany against Slovakia.
So finally at about 5.30pm we drove home again for two hours!
The first day and surely one of the hardest as well!
Leonie Westarp and Michelle Schönmann

Monday, 27th June 2016
Monday, the 27th June we had to get up early, because we met at Perth Grammar School at nine o´clock to drive half an hour to a mountain for hiking. When we arrived at the school our teacher Mrs. Jäger told us: The ones who do not have hiking boots should wear the shoes some hiking specialists had brought with them. If we didn´t wear them we wouldn’t get any pity if we got blisters or foot problems.
The weather was good, a lot of sun and some clouds. But the weather in Scotland changes very fast, so we couldn´t be sure if we would get back without getting wet. We started hiking with the goal to reach the top of the mountain. The view was beautiful and walking wasn´t as boring as we thought. As we arrived at the top of the mountain it suddenly started to rain. It felt like volley, because the wind was very strong. But five minutes later the sun was shining and we had an arresting view. The way down was much easier and we were very fast. Everybody reached the top apart from Mrs. Jäger and Mrs. Hepp, who went back earlier and had a cup of coffee in the little town beneath the mountain. All in all we would say it was an exciting and eventful experience.

Kristin Schniewind und Rebecca Foth

Tuesday, 28th June 2016
Today we met at 9 am at school and went by bus to a lake for about one hour. There we were divided into four groups. A guide explained how to shoot with bow and arrow and then we did archery. At first we trained and then we had a contest between girls and boys. And even the fact that men were hunters in the Stone Age hadn’t helped the boys to win.
Then we climbed with a rope over a waterfall. And if you didn’t pay attention your feet could get wet. But of course we were secured so that we didn’t fall into the water and float away.
After that we had a little break to eat our sandwiches.
Then we could decide between kayaking and canoeing. Usually when canoeing you don’t get wet. Nevertheless four students managed to fall into the water, so they were completely wet.
We went by bus back to Perth and bowled in hall illuminated by black light. The rest of the day we spent with our host families.
By Luca Fuso & Eduard Ott

Wednesday, 29th June 2016
From basketball and Scottish breakfast to selfies in Perth and Minigolf
At first we played basketball against the Scottish exchange partners and some people from the school. Although no one of the German students plays basketball at home in a team, it was a very close match. After that we had a Scottish breakfast with scones, marmelade etc. It was quite good. But we had to eat fast because after breakfast we visited the classes with our exchange partners. It was very interesting to see how similar the lessons were. Then we had to meet in the centre of Perth. After everyone arrived, we were split in groups. In these groups we had the mission to take selfies in front of interesting places in Perth. The group with the best selfies wins. Then we had to go to our host family to have a rest. In the evening we met at a place where you can play minigolf. The railways were very different, so it was difficult to estimate how hard you had to hit the ball.
Sören Lange
Thursday, 30th June 2016
Next stop Edinburgh
We were so happy to be on the train to Edinburgh this morning because we hadn’t expected it. Scotland’s capital city is a very old and interesting city with a lot of sights and a wonderful castle. The castle was our first stop. We had an exciting view of the city and its old houses. After that we split into groups and discovered the city on our own. Many of us spent much time in souvenir shops and with shopping. We can tell stories about running around in Edinburgh to find the Hardrock Café and annoyed people because we didn’t cross the streets in the right way or didn’t understand the check-out system at Marks and Spencer. Three hours went by very fast. And when we sat on the train talking about the experiences we had, we noticed that it was far too little time. All in all we can say that Edinburgh is worth a visit not only because of its excellent shopping facilities but also because of the wonderful flair the city has.
We recognized it was our last evening when we went to Ceilidh Event, where the Provost of Perth welcomed us. After two girls presented some Scottish dance, we could dance ourselves. We had a lot of fun and the time went by very fast. At the end of the day everybody was tired and went to bed soon.

Hannah Dinkloh, Sophie Gentil

Friday, 1st July 2016
Here we are again and guess what? It’s the last day in Scotland! We were leaving our Scottish homes with mixed feelings. On the one hand we were happy to fly home to see our beloved family members again, but on the other hand we were also sad to leave our Scottish homes, families and new friends behind us.
We met at school at 9 in the morning to do the evaluation of the week. Done with the evaluation we went to the Blackwatch Castle & Museum in Perth, where we were able to have a view of the beautiful poppy scaffolding and we also could have a quick look inside the Blackwatch Castle.
After that we had a little bit of free time and most of us went to McDonalds and surprisingly the burgers and nuggets tasted really good. I guess it’s because Scotland has more cows and sheep than inhabitants. 😉
Later on we met at school again and then it was already time to say goodbye. Everyone was hugging someone, some last words were said and there were also some kisses to give 😉
Hopped on the bus, everyone had their different way to spend their last hours in Scotland. Some of us were sleeping, others were enjoying the magnificent scottish scenery and some others were talking, laughing and singing. After about 2-3 hours we arrived later than expected in Aberdeen. Walking into the airport we had the insight that we had to leave Perth earlier. The check-in queue was very long, because there was another class waiting to check in. After the check-in came the security check, this time without any suspicion of explosives or other criminalities. 😀
The last minutes in Scotland were spent in the Duty-Free area and in some other shops where everyone stocked up themselves with food and drinks.
The flight was alright and the staff was very nice, but the best part was the landing. Finally we touched some german ground again! In Germany every proceeded very quickly, some last words by our teachers were said and then everyone grabbed their suitcases and then we were already awaited by our parents and siblings!
We hope you enjoyed reading our reports just as much as we enjoyed the week in Scotland!
Nadine Vu and Julian Schwarzkopf